How to Thrive in 2021

Whether it’s by applying the stark economic lessons of the pandemic to teach your children financial literacy, or by doing these seven things — including budgeting and padding your emergency fund — now is the time to face financial reality and help reshape your future.

2. Start a Business

We’re serious. And you won’t be alone. American startups are being launched at the highest rate in 13 years. Genius is often born of necessity, and there is perhaps no time more necessary for innovation than when you’ve been furloughed or fired or you’re no longer getting by with the status quo. If you have been lucky enough to keep your job, the time you once spent commuting can now be used to build a new income-generating gig that may one day let you quit the daily grind for good.

3. Consider a Side Hustle

One easy way to get started on the entrepreneurial path is by participating in the sharing economy, from driving for Uber and Lyft to delivering food with Postmates, Grubhub or Instacart. Handy? Try shopping your skills on TaskRabbit, or consider Lugg, where your muscle becomes a hot commodity. Meanwhile, turn your spare bedroom into a hotel room on Airbnb (once the pandemic subsides), or make your spare garage or attic space earn you money with Neighbor, an app that rents out your extra storage space.

4. Get Freaky With It

Look, we don’t judge the hustle. But there are definitely some stranger, albeit proven, ways to make a buck out there. Even small-time microinfluencers are earning tens of thousands of dollars filming themselves “unboxing” products on YouTube. Fake luxury shoppers in Paris have been paid hundreds to wait in lines for black-market employers, who then resell hard-to-get merchandise at double or triple the market value (a rare Birkin bag has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past 35 years). A litany of odd ways to make a buck include manufacturing doll clothes, fixing fountain pens, impersonating celebrities and orchestrating fireworks shows, to name just a few.

5. Or Just Dabble

You can start on your entrepreneurial path with simple steps, such as finding ways to make cash from your living room. From watching TV shows or shopping online to testing websites or reselling used clothing for quick money, there are numerous ways to make yourself industrious without ever leaving your favorite cozy recliner.

6. Take Time Off

It may feel strange, especially if you haven’t been to the office for a while and traveling for vacay isn’t in the cards. But if you have been fortunate enough to keep your job and have been hoarding your vacation days, it may be time to maximize your PTO and give yourself permission to get away — even if that means simply logging off of Slack for a few days.

If you’re like us, you’ve gotten used to working from the comfort of home wrapped in cozy blankets and might dread the idea of putting on “real clothes.” With Outerknown’s Blanket Shirt, your problem is solved: It is rugged, sustainable and the coziest shirt ever. Don’t let its stylishness fool you: The Blanket Shirt can also stand up to the elements and function as an extra layer on chilly nights.

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Start with these tips for breathing from an expert who imparts both practical and psychological advice for those struggling to come up for air. Did you know you’re probably taking in too much air at one time? You should slow down, take in less and hum! Yes, humming is actually good for you.

2. Invest in Digital Check-Ins

Pre-COVID, 90 percent of senior patients receiving virtual health care said they were happy with or even preferred it to in-person visits. If you’ve missed your annual checkup, it’s time to make a call.

3. Take a Sleep Retreat

Getting some zzz’s may have been tough this past year, but now’s the time for a sleep retreat. Note: Given that price tags can run into the thousands (per night!) at some wellness resorts, consider creating your own getaway sleep program, using methods and materials that fit your budget.

4. Or Go for a Reflective Jog

Mindful running, a term coined in a 2017 book by journalist Mackenzie Havey, was taking off before the pandemic via brand campaigns and wilderness retreats, and the practice will likely only increase after a year in which people were cooped up more than ever.

5. Eat a Childhood Snack

While flying for work this year, I was offered Goldfish as a snack by a flight attendant, which instantly put a smile on my face and took me back to the days when I’d toss them into the air and catch them like a circus performer for my grade-school friends. What snacks (or meals) transport you back to an earlier time? Reply to this email to let us know.

Ever checked the ingredients in your dog’s food? It might scare you. Thankfully, our friends at Spot & Tango have sworn off mysterious ingredients and powdered meats for good. Their personalized UnKibble will provide your dog with the exact nutrients they need to live their best life. With free shipping and vet-developed recipes, could it get any better? Oh yeah, their meal plans start at only $6.99 per week. Check out Spot & Tango’s UnKibble now, and use code OZY30 for 30% off!

A gift from us to you. New year, new wise words? In our final “odd couple” matchup of the holiday season, we’re bringing you some of the best advice change-makers have shared on The Carlos Watson Show. Whether it’s meditation guru Deepak Chopra or veteran political strategist Donna Brazile, whose words will you treasure heading into 2021? Check out the episodes here, and let us know which you pick by following The Carlos Watson Show on Instagram and voting in our Stories.

This guru says happiness is overrated. Meanwhile, acknowledging dissatisfaction can free you to seek fixes and take risks to improve yourself and the world around you. After all, if we’re always telling ourselves things are rosy when they aren’t, then what’s the motivation for change?

2. Seize Your Power

How? By giving it away, as these therapists and healing practitioners did, finding purpose and happiness in helping others. From funding mental health care and creating healing collectives for young Black women to providing meditation spaces, there are lots of ways to organize online and share what you have. Some of the cities that suffered the greatest hardship last year have shown remarkable generosity, suggesting that giving when we’re at our lowest can have profound restorative effects.

3. Practice the New Golden Rule

That is, care for yourself the way you would care for others. Many people, particularly in times of health crises, become caregivers — emotionally, physically or both — for loved ones. But, as a study in June showed, that role comes with its own risks: Nearly a third of unpaid caregivers polled had contemplated suicide in the previous month. Make time for self-care: An empty cup cannot quench anyone’s thirst.

4. Trade Being “Cool” for Being Well

That’s what hotel entrepreneur Valeri Chekeria had to do: After helping build the nation of Georgia’s reputation as a cool, post-Soviet gem, he’s pivoted to welcoming tourists with an image of health and wellness. While Georgia has re-closed its borders for now, there is a broader lesson in Chekeria’s shift: Now is not the time to play things cool. Be brave, be passionate, be silly, maybe even be a little idealistic.

5. Date Without Borders

It’s a big sea out there, and one positive consequence of COVID-19 may be dating apps that allow for more cross-continental love affairs than ever before. Plus, you’ll likely find yourself learning about different cultures and ideas in ways that you never would have expected possible from being wooed over a screen. It’s tempting in tough times to hide yourself from the world, but connecting with others — even virtually — might just be the antidote you need.

6. Embrace Your Age

For every season, and so it goes. The “dorky” depictions of retirement-age and older seniors led advertising veteran David Harry Stewart to co-found Ageist, a media company aimed at redefining our expectations of what it means to grow old with grace. And in a world where the over-50 set is accomplishing amazing feats every day, it’s plain silly not to recognize the power that experience grants us.

7. Carry Tools for Survival

Following Alaskan tribal tradition, it’s time for you to create your own qungasvik, a Yup’ik word for a container to store lifesaving tools. Combining teachings and advice about how to live a good life by reconnecting with one’s heritage and learning hands-on skills, there is ancient wisdom in creating a toolbox for healing to accompany you through life’s challenges. Forgive yourself for not starting earlier. There is no better time to start gathering tools to meet obstacles to come.

8. Watch This Soul-Stirring Discussion

Women of color rarely get equal airtime, much less the space to dig deep into the opportunities and roadblocks facing their community. In Black Women OWN the Conversation, OZY’s partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network that won an Emmy in September, 100 Black women gathered in Atlanta to discuss the topics that matter most to them. Start with episode four: “Mind, Body and Soul.”

9. Set New Goals

Every new year, resolutions are in the air, but this year, after months of a global pandemic that forced many to reflect on their priorities, sitting down and looking toward the future can be more powerful than ever. Use the lessons from 2020 and apply them to the life you want to live. Give yourself something to look forward to, to aim toward, to become better at. A year from now, hopefully you’ll be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say: “Wow, I did so much more than just get by.”